Over the years, a major objective relating to building constructions has been to improve the insulation of exterior walls. Simultaneously, cheaper construction methods are sought, particularly through prefabricated wall panel assemblies which are constructed at a remote location and then delivered to the construction site for erection.
Standard walls are generally fabricated with insulating wool inside the walls. However, these standard walls include several thermal bridges which lower the degree of insulation, which is typically measured by the R-factor. Thermal bridges are points in the building envelope that allow direct heat conduction to occur. Since heat flows through the path of least resistance, thermal bridges can contribute to poor energy performance. A thermal bridge is created when materials create a continuous path across a temperature difference, in which the heat flow is not interrupted by thermal insulation. For instance, wall studs which extend through the wall structure from the exterior surface to the interior surface create thermal bridges.
Therefore, there is a need to lower the number of thermal bridges while obtaining a structural wall panel assembly with adequate mechanical and insulating properties at reasonable manufacturing costs.